When Florida Ag Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced the 2025 Agricultural Environmental Leadership Award, the recipient was no surprise. Wish Farms, a fourth-generation family business from Plant City, took the well-deserved spotlight.
Wish Farms is known for its prowess growing strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and pineberries. But this fruit producer is doing far more than just fueling your morning smoothies. It’s also making big waves when it comes to protecting the environment.
Wish Farms was founded in 1922, and despite being more than a century old, the farm is far from stuck in the past. Instead, it’s embracing the technologies of the future to improve its daily operations.
With more than 2,100 solar panels spread across an 80,000-square-foot rooftop, Wish Farms is generating enough energy (1.6 GW) to power 117 Florida homes per year.
If that weren’t enough, the farm is deeply committed to sustainability across the board and has taken steps to protect natural resources, reduce water usage, and cut down on waste.
With all these initiatives in mind, Wish Farms is setting the gold standard for sustainable Florida agriculture.
Florida Farmers, Environmental Stewards
Wish Farms has rightfully earned its fair share of accolades, but it’s far from an outlier in the Sunshine State. Instead, Wish Farms perfectly exemplifies the mission of countless growers and ranchers in Florida who act as stewards of the land.
From the Panhandle to the Everglades, Florida farmers continue to pioneer sustainable practices that protect our state’s unique ecosystems while continuing to keep our state (and nation) well-fed.
While not every single farm has gone as far as installing solar panels on their rooftops, every small step counts. It might be precision irrigation, renewable energy adoption, or even integrated pest management that reduces or eliminates the use of harmful chemicals.
Regardless of how exactly they choose to do it, Florida farmers have found unique ways to balance agricultural innovation with ecological preservation.
Why It Matters
The state’s agricultural legacy is rooted in respect for the environment. Without clean water and fertile land, Florida wouldn’t be the powerhouse it is in agriculture and conservation. Ag professionals like those at Wish Farms remind us that agriculture doesn’t have to come at the expense of nature. It can complement it.